UFC 143 falls on Super Bowl Saturday this year, and for 27-1-1 NC Andre Pederneiras pupil and Nova Uniao phenom Renan Barao, Saturday night means the biggest test of his already-impressive career against the always aggressive Scott “Young Guns” Jorgens…
UFC 143 falls on Super Bowl Saturday this year, and for 27-1-1 NC Andre Pederneiras pupil and Nova Uniao phenom Renan Barao, Saturday night means the biggest test of his already-impressive career against the always aggressive Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen.
Jorgensen is a former WEC Bantamweight title contender who can fight to his game plan against anyone and still make it a fun fight, but just as Barao’s never faced a wrestler that could dominate fights the way Jorgensen dominates fights, Jorgensen has never encountered a phenomenal athlete with Barao’s potential for greatness and constant evolution.
How do the two stack up heading into UFC 143?
Let’s take a look at the advantages of the Nova Uniao supernova, followed by the advantages of the man they call “Young Guns,” in this breakdown of this potential candidate for “Fight of the Night.”
Welcome back fans and friends; it’s now time for the eighth installment in my series “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”
As we move higher and higher up the pay-per-view card, of course the matches are getting bigger and bigger. Part eight…
Welcome back fans and friends; it’s now time for the eighth installment in my series “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”
As we move higher and higher up the pay-per-view card, of course the matches are getting bigger and bigger. Part eight of the complete collection focuses on two top lighter weight fighters battling it out for what might just be a shot at the UFC bantamweight championship. Let’s look at what should be an instant classic: Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen.
Since he debuted in the WEC in 2010, Renan Barao has been making his case for a title shot in the best way possible: by going undefeated and running through everyone in his path.
In his four combined fights in the WEC and later the UFC, Barao has fought to a decision only once. His other three victories have all been by submission, with two first-round submissions. To date, Barao’s record stands at a very impressive 27-1, with one no contest.
Barao’s opponent, Scott Jorgensen, is widely regarded as one of the best bantamweights in the world. Jorgensen has won seven out of his last eight fights, with three finishes. The one man that beat Scott Jorgensen during this run was none other than Dominick Cruz, who defended his WEC bantamweight championship against Jorgensen in the final WEC event ever. The victory also won Cruz the inaugural UFC bantamweight championship.
All told, Jorgensen left the famed blue cage having competed 10 times in the WEC, going 7-3 with three stoppage wins and no stoppage losses. Inside the Octagon, Jorgensen is on a two-fight win-streak after KO’ing Ken Stone and then beating tough veteran Jeff Curran by unanimous decision.
This fight is definitely going to be a war, and I can definitely see it going all three rounds. Who wins it, though? Now there’s a tough question.
The two things you absolutely cannot question about Scott Jorgensen, the two things that I like the most about him as a fighter, are his will and heart.
Jorgensen won’t quit no matter what, and if you try to finish him you just light a fire under him and he’ll come out even more aggressive next round. Jorgensen can be beaten, but at this point in time, it’s pretty difficult to do that. Since 2009, Jorgensen has fully evolved into a top-division athlete and fully reached his potential.
Even with a record of 27-1-1, I just can’t shake the feeling that Barao hasn’t reached his full potential yet.
The 27-1 record of Barao is a lot more dominant and looks a lot more impressive than 13-4…on paper. But consider this: Scott Jorgensen has been competing in major promotions since his fifth fight as a professional mixed martial artist. Renan Barao, meanwhile, earned his impressive record in smaller promotions throughout Brazil.
If you doubt Scott Jorgensen in this fight, simply consider this: as spectacular as Barao’s record seems to be, he’s fought four times in major promotions and has beaten mid-division talent.
Scott Jorgensen has fought thirteen times in major promotions, fought some of the best competition the WEC had to offer at the time, and has even fought for the WEC bantamweight championship against Dominick Cruz.
Scott Jorgensen is no man’s stepping stone.
In the end, I think Jorgensen is going to remind us all of this fact at UFC 143.
Barao has all the potential in the world, but Jorgensen has the experience to put Barao’s hype aside and focus on dismantling him as the flesh-and-blood human that he is.
Barao won’t get exposed because he honestly is pretty awesome… but I’m definitely predicting that Barao will lose. Jorgensen is simply too experienced, too versatile, too motivated, and too good.
Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.
Ever since the WEC merged with the UFC in 2011, the featherweight and bantamweight fighters have been stealing show after show with their fast-paced and exciting fights. Guys like Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber, and countless others have put on…
Ever since the WEC merged with the UFC in 2011, the featherweight and bantamweight fighters have been stealing show after show with their fast-paced and exciting fights.
Guys like Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber, and countless others have put on some of the best fights in the past 12 months, yet the little guys still seem to get overlooked by casual fans and are buried on UFC fight cards.
Case in point, this weekend’s huge bantamweight fight between Scott Jorgensen and Renan Barao.
The battle between Jorgensen and Barao is a match up between two of the top five bantamweights in the world, and the winner will likely be a win away from a UFC title shot.
However, the fight is being completely overlooked by the general public and is stuck as one of the unadvertised main card bouts.
If this was a card that had a ton of star power, overlooking Jorgensen and Barao would be acceptable as the two aren’t exactly household names and won’t draw any PPV buys, but UFC 143 is basically the Nick Diaz show and other than the UFC’s resident anti-hero, the card has pretty much no one who can draw fans.
This would be a fantastic opportunity for the UFC to let two unknown bantamweights gain some star power and give a bump in popularity to the lower weight classes.
This fight is guaranteed to be entertaining and has tremendous potential to win fight of the night honors, even with a main event involving Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit on the card.
Both of these young fighters have the potential to challenge for the bantamweight crown numerous times in their careers (Jorgensen fought for the belt once already), and with top names like Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson dropping to the newly created flyweight division, Jorgensen and Barao now represent the future of one if the UFC’s best divisions.
Jorgensen is riding a two-fight win streak since losing a bantamweight title fight to Dominick Cruz back in December 2010 and is widely regarded as one of the best 135-lbs fighters in the sport.
His knockout win over Ken Stone featured some of the most impressive ground and pound from the guard that has been seen in the UFC since the days of Tito Ortiz’s title run, and his win over Jeff Curran at UFC 137 was a tough and gritty victory to say the least.
Barao is on one of the most impressive streaks in MMA, as he has not lost in his last 28 professional fights and has finished the vast majority of those opponents, something that the UFC has made it clear is important if you want to be anywhere near a title shot (just ask Jon Fitch).
After smashing Brad Pickett at UFC 138, winning Fight of the Night honors in the process, Barao is now just inches away from getting a crack at the belt.
The current co-main event between Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum is a decent enough fight, and Nelson has a bit of a following due to his stint on The Ultimate Fighter and his “average fat guy” persona, but should these two really get priority over two of the best young fighters in the world?
The answer is no, and the UFC has made a huge mistake in burying Jorgensen and Barao on the card.
Hopefully after these two put on a fight that is sure to be one of the most entertaining of the night, it opens the door for other lighter-weight fighters to get the opportunity to be promoted and hyped like the big guys are.
(Allow us to introduce you to Nelson Roy III, the brilliant hedge fund manager who has absolutely no relation to that fighting hillbilly you saw on Saturday. / Photo via MMAJunkie.)
If you decided to play the new CagePotato drinking game this weekend, you’re probably way too hung over to think about your financial future right now. But now that the dust has settled from UFC 137, you owe it to yourself to study our insightful and highly opinionated rundown of where to direct your hypothetical MMA investments. It’s “Buy, Sell, Hold” time once again, Potato Nation…
Even if Baby Jay is pulling a Jamie Varner (man I hope that’s not a euphemism) as Mr. Falvo so eloquently put it, the writing on the wall has been there for a while now even if the majority of fans didn’t bother to read it. BJ announcing his retirement Saturday night may have been a moment of weakness when his emotions got the best of him which led to a rash decision, but let me remind you (just like every other single story you read today about “The Prodigy”) that Penn has went 1-3-1 in his last five fights. The Hawaiian may fight again to collect another paycheck but there is no more money to be made as a shareholder.
(Allow us to introduce you to Nelson Roy III, the brilliant hedge fund manager who has absolutely no relation to that fighting hillbilly you saw on Saturday. / Photo via MMAJunkie.)
If you decided to play the new CagePotato drinking game this weekend, you’re probably way too hung over to think about your financial future right now. But now that the dust has settled from UFC 137, you owe it to yourself to study our insightful and highly opinionated rundown of where to direct your hypothetical MMA investments. It’s “Buy, Sell, Hold” time once again, Potato Nation…
Even if Baby Jay is pulling a Jamie Varner (man I hope that’s not a euphemism) as Mr. Falvo so eloquently put it, the writing on the wall has been there for a while now even if the majority of fans didn’t bother to read it. BJ announcing his retirement Saturday night may have been a moment of weakness when his emotions got the best of him which led to a rash decision, but let me remind you (just like every other single story you read today about “The Prodigy”) that Penn has went 1-3-1 in his last five fights. The Hawaiian may fight again to collect another paycheck but there is no more money to be made as a shareholder.
Nick Diaz – Buy it like they’re giving it away for free!
The twenty-eight year old Stockton, California native showed everyone that effective boxing, stellar jiu-jitsu, and cardiovascular stamina that makes the Energizer Bunny look like Roy Nelson at UFC 130, is a tasty recipe for success, even in the UFC. Inside the cage, Nick Diaz can scrap with the best of them. Although slightly awkward on the mic, Diaz evokes emotion and gets heat from everyone in earshot. You should overlook his professional shortcomings as long as Dana White continues to do the same; do that and you’ll be in the money once February comes when Diaz takes on the welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre.
“Les plus sales du monde combattant” Cheick Kongo – Sell, Sell, Sell!
Mr. Kongo, if that is even his real last name, (Note: It’s not. I checked.) did what no other man in the UFC has been able to do – beat Matt Mitrione . Wait, what?! Those fights in the TUF house don’t count. Anyway, back to what I was saying, where was I? Oh yeah, Cheick Kongo finally realized he was in a fight and even managed to win. His stock is relatively high and the extra cash really comes in handy this close to Christmas. Not only did his performance leave a bad taste in the fan’s mouth, it clearly proved that Congo would never be a world-beater. Dirty fighter he is, ‘in the mix’ he is not.
During the co-main event of UFC 137, Matt Mitrione showed that big moments still get the best of him, despite his having played in the National Football League. The former TUF 10 contestant is what he says he is, “a baby in mixed martial arts.” I was neither impressed nor unimpressed with his showing on Saturday night against a seasoned veteran in Kongo. We’re still in a fragile market. It would be foolish to write this guy off or jump on his bandwagon.
As a common shareholder, you have little recourse when it comes to a company declaring bankruptcy. In a nut shell, the company sells all of its assets in order to pay the government, financial institutions, other creditors (i.e. suppliers and utility companies), bondholders, preferred shareholders and, finally, you. If you’re lucky, you might get back enough money to buy UFC replica belt… just don’t ask Jon Jones to sign it.
In his post TKO loss interview with Joe Rogan, Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ declared that we wouldn’t be seeing him fight again. “I was treated like a king from the beginning. It’s in my best interest that this is my farewell fight, thanks everybody.” No, “Thank you, Mr. Filipovic.”
Although he debuted a “more buff” body, Roy Nelson is still the same fighter who’s dropped two of his last three fights with his only win coming at the hands of the aging Mirko ‘Cro Cop’. Watch Dana White give him the winner of Lesnar vs. Overeem and you’ll see “Big Country” go belly up.
In late 2010, Scott Jorgensen lost a unanimous decision to Dominic Cruz at WEC 53 for both the WEC and UFC Bantamweight title. Since then, he’s rattled off a pair of wins in hopes to get back in the mix. Jorgensen needs to face and defeat stiffer competition before you should move your money in either direction.
Let’s examine for a moment the stats of “Cowboy” Cerrone in 2011: 4-0 record, 2 submissions, 1 TKO, 1 Unanimous decision, 1 each: Submission, Knockout, and Fight of the Night. — And he wants to fight again before the year is over. If your pockets are deep enough, I suggest you pick up some DCC to hedge your portfolio.
Filed under: UFCUFC 137 is one of those events where you really wish oddsmakers would offer some fun prop bets. For example, odds that B.J. Penn will lick someone’s blood off his gloves? (+375). Odds Roy Nelson will smack his somewhat diminished belly …
UFC 137 is one of those events where you really wish oddsmakers would offer some fun prop bets. For example, odds that B.J. Penn will lick someone’s blood off his gloves? (+375). Odds Roy Nelson will smack his somewhat diminished belly on camera? (+125). Odds Nick Diaz will insist on wearing jeans and work boots to the weigh-ins, and make us all wait as he puts them back on before the staredown? (-700).
Alas, we’ll just have to make do with the odds on the fights themselves. Fortunately, there’s plenty of material here to sort through.
It was a borderline brilliant move by Cesar Gracie to try and get this changed to a five-round fight. As we’ve seen in the past, Penn is not always the same person at the end of round three that he is in the beginning of round one, and an extra two frames to take advantage of that would have helped the tireless Diaz immensely. But Penn’s no dummy. He played that attempt off with all the veteran savvy you’d expect, and his chances of winning went up in the process. That is, if the right B.J. Penn shows up, and if Diaz consents to let him have the kind of fight he wants.
Therein lies the problem for both those guys. Penn is inconsistent, while Diaz is almost comically hard-headed. Penn might, at any given point, look up at the clock and sigh like a teenager waiting out the last few minutes of Geometry class. Diaz might be able to take advantage of that if he were Jon Fitch of Georges St-Pierre, but he’s not. He just wants to scrap, and he’ll do so wherever Penn decides to take the fight. If Penn wants to box, they’ll box. If he wants to grapple, that’s fine too. It’s hard to wear a guy out when you let him decide where and how to fight. And if you can’t tire Penn out, you’re giving up the most reliable way of beating him. That could still work…if you’re the better all-around fighter. And if three rounds is enough time for you to prove it. My pick: Diaz. The odds here don’t give us much of a push in either direction. With Penn, you wonder how hard he’s trained and how much he wants it. With Diaz, you never do. In a fight this close, that’s enough for me.
If this were a Rick Rude-style posedown, Mitrione would be in big trouble. Kongo looks the part of a terrifying heavyweight, and if you didn’t know better you might be forgiven for assuming that he was the superior athlete in this match-up. Big mistake. Don’t get me wrong, Kongo can do a few things well. He just can’t do enough things and he can’t do them well enough. Mitrione, on the other hand, is an agile, athletic big man who improves so much between each fight that it’s almost not worth watching film of his last few bouts to prepare for his next one. On paper, this should be Mitrione’s fight all the way. Instead of betting on who will win, a more interesting wager might be how many times Kongo will manage to knee him in the groin. I’ll set the over/under at two, and let you go from there. My pick: Mitrione. At these odds I’ll toss it straight into the parlay bin and leave it there, but at least it’s one I can feel reasonably confident in.
Here’s where, before doing anything, you need to check your emotions at the door. Don’t let sentimentality make you a poor man just because you wanted to believe that Cro Cop had one more headkick KO left in him. Would that be an awesome finish to his UFC career? Sure it would. Is it likely to happen? Nope. Not only can Nelson take it, he can dish it out. There was a time when we could say the same about Cro Cop, but the years and the physical damage have piled up on him now, and he goes down easier and easier. Nelson is a slugger on the feet who could probably also beat Cro Cop on the ground if he wanted to. Cro Cop is still a legend of the sport, but he’s also a shadow of his former self. Don’t let it get you down, but don’t bet on a miraculous resurrection either. Those days are gone, my friend. At least the two of you will always have Tokyo. My pick: Nelson. It’s another one for the parlay, and another meager gain that breaks my heart just a little more than it’s worth.
While Curran is a likable guy and a real student of the game, if we’re being honest we also have to admit that he’s the MMA equivalent of an old car that’s held together by bailing wire and hope. He’s been beat up and broken down over the years, and has hung together reasonably well, all things considered. Still, when you look at his career record you see a man who’s been beaten by nearly every high-level opponent he’s faced. Jorgensen might be inexperienced by comparison, but not so much that he’s likely to get caught in a dumb submission or try to get too far away from his strengths. He’ll show up looking to ground-and-pound Curran into a bloody mess, and he’ll probably succeed. My pick: Jorgensen. The odds are a bit more lopsided than I expected, but they favor the right man.
Regular readers of this column will know that I simply must find at least one crazy underdog on every fight card, and when no obvious choice presents itself I am not above talking myself into one. So here goes: on paper, Hioki is the better fighter with the more established resume. He’s also spent almost his entire career fighting in Japan, and the UFC’s Octagon has not proved to be a very welcoming environment for many of his countrymen. Roop is a bigger fighter who is at home in the cage, and who, here and there, has shown flashes of real ability. He’s not championship material and probably never will be, but does he have what it takes to shock Hioki in his UFC debut in front of the friendly Las Vegas crowd? I think just maybe he does. My pick: Roop. It’s a tasty line that I just can’t resist under these circumstances. Some oddsmakers even have him as high as +325, so look around for a bargain if you feel like taking the leap with me.
Quick picks:
– Dennis Siver (+215) over Donald Cerrone (-275). Cerrone is tough, but Siver is a different class of opponent than what he’s been up against lately. In a pick-em I’d take “Cowboy,” but at these odds Siver is worth a small risk.
– Danny Downes (+155) over Ramsey Nijem (-185). You won’t get rich off it, but Downes is the smart play against a guy who’s probably not quite at this level just yet.
The ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay: Matt Mitrione + Roy Nelson + Scott Jorgensen + Brandon Vera
Filed under: UFCCan Nick Diaz make a triumphant return to the UFC and beat B.J. Penn? Can Matt Mitrione stay undefeated and beat Cheick Kongo? Will Mirko Cro Cop show he still has something left against Roy Nelson? Is there any reason to buy this pay-p…
Can Nick Diaz make a triumphant return to the UFC and beat B.J. Penn? Can Matt Mitrione stay undefeated and beat Cheick Kongo? Will Mirko Cro Cop show he still has something left against Roy Nelson? Is there any reason to buy this pay-per-view now that Georges St. Pierre is off the card? We’ll answer those questions and more as we predict the winners of Saturday night’s UFC 137.
When: Saturday, the preliminary fights on Facebook begin at 6 PM ET, the Spike fights begin at 8 and the pay-per-view begins at 9.
Predictions on the five pay-per-view fights below.
BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz Diaz is on a 10-fight winning streak, but some critics contend that he’s built up his record against weak opponents and wouldn’t be able to handle the best of the best in the UFC. The fight with Penn should tell us a lot about Diaz: Can he use his high-volume but sometimes sloppy punching against a good boxer? Can he get the better of an excellent jiu jitsu player on the ground?
I’ve always enjoyed watching Diaz and was hoping to see him fight St. Pierre for the welterweight title, but my money is on Diaz falling short against Penn. I think Penn can jab Diaz effectively all night if the fight stays standing, and I think Penn is too sophisticated a grappler for Diaz to get him in trouble on the ground. This is not a good stylistic matchup for Diaz, and I see Penn winning by unanimous decision. Pick: Penn
Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione Mitrione was a former NFL defensive lineman who had little MMA experience when he was invited to join the cast of The Ultimate Fighter, but he has developed into a credible heavyweight. Kongo is a great striker and a lot of fun to watch, but he struggles against bigger, stronger opponents who can take him down, and I think that’s exactly what Mitrione is going to do. I like Mitrione to win a decision and improve to 6-0. Pick: Mitrione
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson Both of these guys are on two-fight losing streaks and have looked very unimpressive lately, but the difference is that in Nelson’s two losses he was simply beaten by better opponents. In Cro Cop’s two losses he was not only beaten but looked like he didn’t even particularly want to fight. It’s sad to say but I just don’t think Cro Cop has anything left at all. Look for Nelson to win, and for UFC President Dana White to face questions about whether Cro Cop is done in the UFC. Pick: Nelson
Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran The one good thing you can say about all the injuries that affected UFC 137 is that they created space for Jorgensen vs. Curran on the main card. This fight should be a lot of fun, featuring one of the best bantamweights in the world in Jorgensen, against one of the pioneers of the lower weight classes in Curran. I’d love to see Curran go on a run in the UFC, but he’s 34 years old and has been fighting for 13 years and I think he’s slowed down considerably. I think Jorgensen wins this one handily. Pick: Jorgensen
Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop Hioki has been the best featherweight in Japan the last few years and is an exciting addition to the UFC’s featherweight division. He has great reach and knows how to take advantage of it on his feet, and he’s very aggressive off his back on the ground. And yet … after seeing so many fighters have success in Japan only to struggle when they move to the Octagon, I’m having a hard time seeing Hioki beating a solid UFC veteran like Roop. I think this fight goes the distance and Roop takes the decision. Pick: Roop
Welcome back fans and friends; it’s now time for the eighth installment in my series “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”
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